Great X-Pectations

In 1997, Time wrote about America's preeminent new generation. Were Generation X-ers really slackers, cynics and drifters after all ... fooling sociologists with their pose of repose? These children of Easy Bake Ovens, Family Ties and Michael Jackson were, after all, just getting after it in a different way. Yankelovich Partners proclaimed, "Gen X is connected. Gen X craves success American style." Ten years after, we see clear evidence of their unorthodox beginnings: the web, Hollywood, "Beavis and Butthead" and technology. Generation X-grown turns out to be a generation of Nike go-getters who have "just done it" their way.

Since America insists on profiling its populous through the decades by trait analysis or simple typecasting, we seem hyper-focused on naming genres of ascending generations, profiling them by behaviors and tendencies in the marketplace. As Generation X shouldered its way onto the stage enveloped by 78 million Baby Boomers, we weren't sure what came next. On cue: enter Generation Y; those born after 1977 and as linear as X-ers were asymmetrical. Baby Boomers protested Vietnam by taking it to the streets. Generation Y protested Iraq by electing "change." Gen X invented Grunge music and jeans at the office. Gen Y is driving a resurgence of the Beatles and dressing up for work. They are conservative, kind-hearted and play by the rules. They want what their parents want for them: a good career, continued learning, and above all ... order midst rising chaos.

Recently Penelope Trunk offered views on the why of Y. These observations have a place in hiring, developing and mentoring Gen Y since they populate our youngest pool of talent. So, here's what they want from their leadership.

Stability: Gen Y knows there are no lifetime jobs anymore, and so if they job-hop, it's based on a quest for relative permanence.

Learning: Gen Y knows staying employable and promotable means constant learning. When the learning curve at work flattens, they may jump. This process stems right from their parents exhortation to "get off the couch and go do your homework." Some behaviorists suggest these kids were over-stimulated and over-programmed in their academic and extracurricular lives, leading them to an adult condition of restlessness when in stasis. Hmmm...

Mentoring: Many Gen Y-ers have no idea where they want the road to lead; they seem the most uncertain of all American generations. They thrive on mentors and learning to help them sort it out. While many of us have little time for mentoring, we will see a return on investment.

Rotation programs: This is easy in big nationals like P&G or IBM. A Gen Y-er who can navigate through interdepartmental roles as he or she progress creates an ideal model for retention. It's not so easy at grassroots levels of media, yet in some radio groups we're encouraging as much cross-exposure as the organization allows.

Salaries and scales: Generation Y is curious in the sense they are easily aware of scales and relative compensation with easy access to PayScale and such, so they expect to be paid fairly but have no delusions of grandeur for unrealistic reward.

Hyper-management: Completely reversed from their Generation X predecessors, Gen Y wants to be tightly managed and supervised through feedback and review. They thrive on weekly and quarterly goals. A while back, KGO's Mickey Luckoff told me he'd changed his leadership style multiple times to meet his generational hires on more productive footing. If this seems like too much work, get over it. Who can argue with Mickey's results?

And keep in mind, Gen Y saw their boomer parents work endlessly (no generation worked harder), only to be met with layoffs, downsizing, crashing corporate ladders and retirement plans. Gen Y wants no part of that scenario. Instead, they want to learn, develop and create their stability in their own way, in their own time. Seem reasonable?